Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (L) walks towards a Chinese high-speed built train as he visits the Chengdu East Railway Station in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, September 24, 2015.
DPA
London
British Chancellor George Osborne yesterday urged Chinese firms to take part as he opened the bidding for seven contracts worth a combined £11.8bn to build a high-speed railway.
Osborne said in the Chinese city of Chengdu that the line through northern England, known as HS2, was a key part of the British government’s plans for “supporting long-term economic growth” in the region.
“That’s why I’m here in China today, opening the bidding process for construction contracts worth £11.8bn, which will propel HS2 forward,” he said.
Osborne made the announcement after his Conservative government has faced criticism for making Britain over-reliant on China.
“We are truly entering a golden era of co-operation between our two countries, and it’s crucial that businesses and communities from across the UK feel the full benefit of forging closer economic links with China,” he argued yesterday.
But opponents of the line questioned the legality of launching the bidding process without parliamentary approval and the wisdom of courting Chinese investment in the project.
“The Chinese way of doing things certainly seems to be rubbing off on Osborne as he has decided to start a £12bn bidding process without any democratic mandate to do so, as parliamentary approval of HS2 is still at least a year away,” said Joe Rukin, campaign manager for Stop HS2.
“Any Chinese involvement in HS2 surely destroys any concept that the construction of HS2 will provide UK workers with the jobs currently being claimed,” Rukin said.
Conservative lawmaker Cheryl Gillan, an opponent of HS2, also told the BBC the opening of bidding was “premature” without parliamentary approval.
Another opposition group, HS2 Action Alliance, said yesterday’s announcement showed the line was a “political project rather than a transport project.”
Osborne encouraged Chinese investors to back the HS2 line as well as other projects in northern England valued at a total of £24bn.
“Today is about making sure that the north is at the heart of our plans to grow investment into the country, and we will be able to showcase compelling projects to ambitious Chinese investors,” said commercial secretary to the Treasury Jim O’Neill, who accompanied Osborne in China.
“But it is also about making sure we are co-operating and learning from China’s urbanisation experience, including the progress China has made in supporting and co-ordinating regional development and promoting the development of city clusters,” O’Neill said.
